The Israeli government declared on Monday 5 May that its army was preparing for a new operation to ‘conquer the Gaza Strip and control the territories’, or even its outright destruction according to certain ministers. The population will be called upon to ‘leave voluntarily’, a forced evacuation in fact, which is contrary to all the principles of international law. This operation bears a striking resemblance to the ‘Trump plan’, which is widely criticised internationally, but to which Netanyahu often refers. The US President will be visiting the Middle East from 13 to 16 May.
After 19 months of war, the situation in Gaza is at its worst: the Israeli blockade on supplies and humanitarian aid, put in place on 2 March, is exposing Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants to famine. Hamas is still maintaining its grip on the population and negotiations to free the hostages have stalled, much to the dismay of their families, who accuse Netanyahu of ‘abandoning’ them. Israeli operations in Gaza since 7 October 2023 have claimed more than 45,000 lives, according to the UN.
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